Means for controlling and regulating the operation of clutches.



0. W. PARKER. MEANS FOR CONTROLLING AND REGULATING THE OPERATION OF CLUTCHES.

APPLICATION FILED DEG.2B, 1910.

Patented Mar. 4, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

INWU'IR BY r AT URNEYS G. W! PARKER. OLLING AND REGULATING THE OPERATION OF CLUTGHES.

MEANS FOR GONTR APPLICATION FILED DEC. 28, 1910.

Patented Mar. 4, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W|TNESSES2 v 40' ATTURNEYD 0. W. PARKER. MEANS FOR GONTROLLING AND REGULATING THE OPERATION. OF GLUTGHBSt APPLICATION FILED 13110.28, 1910.

Patented Mar. 4. 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

NVENTOR BY 2 p 62 ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES ATENT" m rror...

To all whom it may concern cum w. 2mm, or names-um),

M'Assacnusar'ra, A!!! transmission am: urnrnwn cour'mr, were, A oonrourion or MASSACHUSETTS.

anon r rams. or BIBINGIIELD, uuuonu- MELN'S FOB oonraonnmc AND BEGULATING TEE OPERATION OF CLUTCHES.

Be it known that I, CLARK W. PARKER, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Springfield, county of Hampdem'and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new an ments in Means for Controlling'and egu= latinggthegOpei-ation of Clutches, of which the fdilowing' is a specification, reference being'had to the accompanying drawings,-

forming a part thereof.

In the type of friction disk clutch commonly employed for connecting the engine with the mechanism to'be driven in motor car construction, such clutch is usually released by means ofpressure applied by the foot to a pedal lever against the. action of a powerful s ring, and is ap lied by there action of t e said spring w en the pedal is released. If' such pedal be released too quickly, as is quite common, the result isa too sudden application of the clutch by which the parts are subjected to considerable shock.

in many cases to-day must,be released'whenever thetransmission change speed gearing is operated to change the driving connection from one di- Again the clutch should, and

from one speed to another, or

a rection to another. With these ends in view determined extent.

then point out the novel features in claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a view in central longitudinal section through a clutch and clutch operating mechanism constructed in" accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view therethrough,

, the plane of section being taken partly upon .the line rib-00 and partly upon the line yy of Fig. 1. Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view showing particularly the adjustable connec- Specification of Letters Patent. Application Med December as, 1910. semi No. 599.890.

useful 1m rove-- Patented M r.4, 1e13.

tion of two of the retarding device plungers w th the casing. Fig. 3 is a detail view in transverse horizontal section through the resection being indicated by the line 3-3 in Fig. 2'. Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 are diagrammaticviews showing different positions of the retarding or regulating piston with 'respect to the stationary plungers employed in connection therewith.

As the clutch per 86 forms no part of my present invention I have merely illustrated a conventional form thereof in which the driving shaft 10 carries a cylindrical head 11 having a s'plined engagement 12 with a set of friction clutch disks 13, while the ed thereto as torotate co'nst-a'htl therewith but to have a limited longitudinal sliding movement thereon, the said hub having a complementary set of clutch disks 16 secured to rotate therewith, the disks of the set 13.

[At its rear end the hub is provided 11 is provided at its front end with a cover ment at the opposite end of the disks. A powerful helical spring 19 surrounds the against a shouldered portion 21 of the hub 15- The said spring normally exerts its force to move the abutments 17 and 18 toward each other so as to press the friction disks in intimate relative engagement, and

tate with the drive shaft 10 and the other secured to rotate with the driven shaft 14, it will be understood that such action connects the two shafts together in driving relation. For the pur ose of releasing this clutch connection I ave provided an operating arm 22 such operating arm conveniently taking the form of a pedal lever as is common in driven shaft 14 carries-a hub 15 so connect-- set 16 alternating with the disks of the.

with a flange 17 which constitutes ,a rear abutment for the clutch disks, whilethe hub as one of the sets of disks is secured to rotarding or regulating means, the plane of 18 which. constitutes a complementary abutf driven shaft 14 bearing at one end against a collar 20 thereon, and at the other end clutch mechanism of this character, the said operating arm being mounted upona horizontal spindle 23 supported in suitable bearings 24 in a main inclosing casing 25. The spindle 23 carries short arms 26 provided with slotted extremities which engage the trunnions 27 of a ring 28. This ring is secured against relative longitudinal movement with respect to the hub by .means of a ball bearin 29, such bearin permitting free rotational 5 movement 0 the hub within the said ring with a minimum of friction. The portion of the spindle 23 below the shaft 14 and hub- 1.5 is curved in yoke-like form as at30, to

clear the same as will readily be understood by reference to Fig. 2 of the drawings. If the pedal lever 22 be depressed, that isto. say, moved in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1, the hub 15 carrying the abutment 17 will be moved away from the abutment 18,

against the tension of the spring 19, to release the clutch disks from frictional enagement with each other, whereby to free t e shafts 10 and 14 fromtheir driving engagement, and similarly if the operating arm or clutchpedal 22 be released and permitted to return to-its normal position-by the action of the spring 19, then the clutch disks will again be brought into intimate engagement with the two shafts. connected together as before.

Secured to the casing at a'suitable point beneath the same is a vertical cylinder 31 to which is fitted a piston 32. A piston rod 33 secured at its lower ton passes through a suitable stufiing box,

in the upper head 34 of the cylinder, and is pivotally connected at its upper extremity with an arm 35 secured fast to the spindle 23. The piston 32 has a main opening 36 therethrough which is arranged to be closed by means of a spring. actuated puppet valve 37, the stem of the said puppet va ye being mounted to slide in a yoke-which spans the opening 36. The said pistonis also with two other-cylindrical channels or op'enings 38'-39 therethrough, stationary pistons or plungers 40-41 and/t2 being arranged for engagement with .the two said cylindrical-channels, the pistons or "plungers 4:0 -41 with the channel; 38. and thepiston plunger 42xwith 'ithe 'fchannel'f39. The'main" v piston 32 is furthermore providedzupon the exterior fthereof-Iwith; a longitudinal groove, 44-which also constitutes a channel, the said, groove' being closed to argreater'or less 'd'e j greby aii' adjusting scre'w' 4:5,fi'with which tli'ecylinder 31 is: provided. 'Thepistons orplungers 40%42' have reduced stems as shown, while the piston or plunger 41 is"? liollowand' sur'roundsthe stein ofthe piston or plunger 40. The upper endsof the stems are screw-threaded,'the stems of'the pistons or plungers 41-42 having a screw-threaded engagement'with *the casing 25' as at 43, while the stem'of the piston or plunger 40 has a similar screw-threaded engagement f withthe stem of the iston' or plunger 41.; By this means each of the pistons or plungers may be independently adjusted longitudinally The cylinder 31 'is filled above end to the said pism provided mg the multiple disk and below the iston with a liquid, preferably a very lig t oil.

The relative position of the 40-41 and 42 with res ect to the iston 32 when the parts are in t eirnorma rest positions as in Figs. 1 and 2, is shown in the detail view, Fig. 4:. When the pedal 22 is depressed to its greatest extent to entirely free the clutch, thenthe piston is lifted to a point wherein it occupies a relative osition with respect to the plungers, suc as is shown in Fig. 5, and such lifting movement willbe resisted to. a minimum degree by the liquid in the cylinder 31 because the puppet valve 37 will open freely during such 'upward movement of the piston as will be well understood. In this position the channel 38 will be closed by the plunger '11 while the channel 39 will be open, the piston havin in its upward movement, moved clear 0% the heads of the plungers 40 4. 2. If now the pedal 22 be released the action of the spring 19 will cause the parts to move in a direcplungers tion wherein the piston will be forced down- "ward, and such movement will be a relatively rapid one until the piston 32 has descended to a point wherein the lower end pening or channel 39 reaches the i 42 and is closed by it, this poisliown in Fig. 6. Further downward movement of the piston and hence further movement of the parts connected therewith will now be opposed to a greater degree by the liquid in the cylinder 31-because the main opening 36 will be closed by is I the valve 37, while the cylindrical channels 38 and 39 will be closed by the plungers 41 and 42. The channel 44 will, however, be open to the extent to which the adjustment of the screw'stud 45 permits, and this chan- 'nel willthus form a by-pass through which the liquid may be slowly forced from bepoint above it. The

neath the piston toa parts may therefore move slowly at a rate of speed determined by the adjustment of thescrew45,'until the piston reaches a 6g reason ,of itsym'oving clearpf the plunger 41 as. is: shownin Fig. 7. ;The channel 38 now "forming a free connection between. the upper and lowerends of and untilthe channel 38; reaching the head of 'the plunger 40, a s shown in Fig. 8. Thereafter and for-thereno I oint "wherein 'the'channel 38 will be open by the piston, the pi a n-'may descend more freely for a i d, is again closed by mainder of its traveljdownwardwe pistoni:

will move slowly until it reaches the bottom of the cylinder 31, at-which time it will again, occupy the position shown in Fig. 4:. The use of the three plungers 40-4142, and the two channels 38-39, is, advantageous and desirable in constructions employv type of main clutch. The combination shown anddescribed gives first a period of minimum retardation of reof the movement of turn movement; second, a period of greater retardation; third, another period of less retardation; and fourth, another period of greater retardation. During the first period the overthrow movement of the pedal beyond that necessary to actually release the clutch is taken up, then during the first period'of greater retardation the clutch is lightly connected in engagement, just with sufiicient force to rotate the driven parts During the folparts are brought to a condition just short of actually gripping as occurs under running, full load, conditions, while in the final period of retardation the actual gripping of the clutchis completed gently and without shock. The intermediate period of less retardation is useful in connection with themultiple disk form of main clutch, in permitting 'a quick enough movement on the whole,so that when changing the driving relation when hill climbing for instance, the momentum of the car will not be lost;

By properly adjusting the relative positions of the plungersthe periods of less and greater retardation may be determined as required, and the adjustedposition of. the serewffstudti will determine the speed at whichthepa'rts move during the period or periods of greater retardation.

WhatIcaimis:

1. The combination with a clutch comprising friction elements having relative movement into and out of frictional engagement, a spring for forcing the elements into frictional engagement, and operating means for moving the elements out of engagement against the action of the spring, of means for automatically retarding the action of the spring, said means resisting the springl to a greater extent during the initial an final movement of the friction elements by the spring and resisting the spring to a lesser extent during an intermediate portion said elements by the sprin substantially as and for the purpose descn d.

2. The combination with a clutch comprising friction elements having relative movement into and out of frictional engagement, 9. spring for forcing the elements into frictional en agement, and operating means for moving t e elements out of engagement against the action of the spring; 0 a device for automatically retarding t e action fof the spring, said device having means eflecting during bring the elements into .light frictional engagement and to bring said elements into firm gripping relation, and means for effecting a lesser resistance to the spring for a predetermined time after said elements are brought into light fric-o tional engagement, and before they Iare brought into firm gripping relation, substantially as and for the purpose specified. 3. The combination with a clutch comprising friction elements having relative movement into and out of frictional engagement, a spring for forcing the elements into frictional enga ement, and operating means for moving t e elements out of engagementagainst the action of the spring, of meansfor automatically retarding the action of the spring during the movement of the elements into light frictional engagea greater resistance tothe spring ment and for resisting the spring to a less degree during the bringing of the elements to a condition short of gripping under normal conditions and for finally retarding to a eater extent the action of the spring whlle said elements are being brought into firm gripping relation, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination with a clutch comprising friction elements having relative movement into and out of frictional engagement, a s ring for forcing the elements into frictiona enga ement, and operating means for moving t e elements out of of a device for automatically retarding the action of the sprin comprising means fon permitting relative y rapid movement of the elements by the spring toward their position of light frictional engagement, means for then retarding the action of the spring to bring said elements into light frictional engagement, means the operation of the spring to engagement agamst the action of the spring,

I for retarding the action of the e ring with less resistance immmedirelation, substantially as and for the purpose described.

CLARK WL PARKER.

Witnesses: 1

Frank E. Lann, Ro mn'r Ronsme. 

